Mbappé unstoppable; Leo Messi, suspense for the French media

PSG got a valuable win against Real Madrid by the minimum with a goal from Mbappé in stoppage time. The French international was the great star of the match, being a nightmare for Carvajal in the first half, forcing the winger’s penalty in the second and deciding the contest with a beautifully crafted goal. The newspaper The Teamin charge of match notes, has valued the performance of Bondy’s talent with an 8, in which it is the best score together with Verratti.

“He is a special player. What player would have acted like this considering the context that surrounds him? Yes, it could have been more effective (shots at 17, 53, 77, duel with Courtois, 50th minute…) but it started it all. He is a great player and his acceleration put Carvajal in check. The penalty action sums it all up (minute 61). He never gave up. And what about his goal, a summary of his technical qualities and his cool-headedness in front of goal (1-0, 94)? He had an appointment with history: he did not miss it”, underlines L’Équipe to assess Mbappé’s game.

Regarding Messi, the contrast is total. Although the Argentine star tried at all times, the fact of missing a penalty against Courtois has caused the newspaper to give him an insufficient 3: “There is something sad to see him like this. In the first half, in that position of almost an organizer in midfield, the Argentine was active, but he lacked a lot of precision (except in his pass to Mbappé in the 17th minute). against one, he suffered the athletic impact. His second half was better: he secured some attacks effectively. But he clouded his assessment due to some missed shots (53 and 75) and the missed penalty. This Messi is disturbing”.

The newspaper Le Parisien, the closest to PSG, goes along the same lines as L’Équipe. Mbappé was the best valued by the Parisian newspaper with a score of 8.5, highlighting the hyperactivity with which Bondy’s talent put Real Madrid in trouble. For his part, Messi received a 3.5, underlining the newspaper that the penalty was too soft and that, except for two-three details, the match he played was quite irregular in general terms.